A Scoping Review of Nudges for Enhancing Agricultural Policy

2025/08/13 by Nadja El Benni, Yanbing Wang, Jeanine Ammann +2 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Mathematics · Psychology · #Advanced Causal Inference Techniques #Agricultural risk and resilience #Behavioral Health and Interventions

paper · doi:10.1002/aepp.70015

openalex publication_date 2025/08/13 · openalex created_date 2026/02/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23

Abstract

ABSTRACT Following PRISMA guidelines, we conduct a scoping review on 18 empirical studies on nudging interventions for farmers in Europe and the USA. The evidence on the effectiveness of nudges is mixed. Some studies demonstrate positive outcomes, particularly when nudges are combined with other interventions; others report no effect or negative outcomes. We identified several gaps in the literature. For example, the cost‐effectiveness, acceptability, persistence of behavioral change, and unintended effects of nudging interventions remain largely unexamined. Moreover, most studies have limited real‐world applicability, and few use representative samples of farmers. Additionally, transparency is limited, for example, few studies are pre‐registered and share data.

Citations

• Social norms and energy conservation
• PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation
• Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk
• The distributional effects of nudges
• Open science in agricultural economics
• Positive and negative spillover of pro-environmental behavior: An integrative review and theoretical framework
• A Review and Taxonomy of Choice Architecture Techniques
• Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research: Methodological Challenges, Literature Gaps, and Recommendations
• Action needed for the EU Common Agricultural Policy to address sustainability challenges
• Experience of losses and aversion to uncertainty - experimental evidence from farmers in Mexico

Cited by

• Estimating Causal Effects With Observational Data: Guidelines for Agricultural and Applied Economists
• A holistic assessment of farmers' intention to adopt agroecological practices – The case of Swiss grassland

Discussions

• 'A Scoping Review of Nudges for Enhancing Agricultural Policy' New paper in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, led by Nadja El Benni and with Yanbing Wang, Jeanine Ammann, and Gabi Mack Open [bsky, 12 points, 1 comments]

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